Red Star 93 took three points from Metz in Ligue 2 at the Stade de Paris on Monday, the hosts winning 1-0 thanks to a penalty goal. The result moved them level on points with Metz, who sit just two places below in the table.
Things came to a head in the 58th minute when Jovany Ikanga stepped up and converted from the spot, and here's the thing — Metz had not forced a shot on target before that moment. Samuel Renel had picked up a yellow card earlier in the half, and Kevin Cabral followed in the 60th minute after the goal.
Red Star 93 kept their shape and worked a short corner late on, bringing on Kémo Cissé in the 77th minute as they looked to see out the game. Metz made changes too, with Giorgi Abuashvili and Teji Savanier arriving together in the 78th minute, but the visitors had nothing to do all evening after the penalty.
The statistics tell a clear story. Red Star 93 registered 121 attacks against 67, and while both sides created one big chance, the hosts shot seven times on target compared to Metz's single attempt. Possession sat at 52 per cent for the home side, and they completed 377 passes to 339.
By then Red Star 93 sat fourth with 11 points from six games, Metz sixth with nine. The hosts had lost their previous outing 4-1 at Reims, while Metz had drawn their last two league matches, so this win broke a run of inconsistency for both sides.